1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to cabinet constructions, and in particular to multi-part cabinet constructions for housing ceiling-mounted fan-coil units of air conditioning systems.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various types of machinery are provided with cabinets for safety, functional and asthetic purposes, and it is important that such cabinets be secured to the components which they house so that the cabinet cannot fall or be inadvertently removed from the interior structure. Not only would such removal obviate the purpose for which the cabinet was provided, but the cabinet could injure persons or damage property should such removal occur. This is particularly true in the case of cabinets for fan-coil units of air conditioning systems which are mounted in some elevated position such as from a ceiling. The cabinets for ceiling-mounted fan-coil units are conventionally secured to the fan-coil unit by means of bolts which extend through the cabinet to receptacles in the fan-coil unit. Such bolts are unattractive, and resort must be had to attractively plated bolts or decorative coverings to hide their otherwise unattractive appearance. The use of simple tabs or the like as might be acceptable for floor-mounted units cannot safely be used for units in elevated positions, because of the great risk of damage and injury which could result from a cabinet being removed from the unit, especially in situations where the cabinet was not properly secured to the unit. Moreover, the installation of a bulky housing over an elevated machine is a particularly cumbersome operation when a number of bolts must be used to secure the housing in place; more than one person is generally necessary to perform the job.
The problem of a safe yet economical cabinet construction is particularly involved in the case of fan-coil units which are susceptible of being mounted in either the vertical or horizontal positions, especially when the size of the components to be housed varies according to the orientation of the unit. In the case of a fan-coil unit which requires one size of cabinet when oriented in one position, and a larger cabinet when oriented in a different position, it would be advantageous to use a common size cabinet component for the smaller size and to provide a supplemental cabinet section to be attached to the basic cabinet when the fan-coil unit is oriented such that it calls for the larger cabinet. For example, in the situation where a fan-coil unit is constructed for mounting in a vertical position, it would be convenient to provide a basic cabinet for housing the fan-coil unit, and a set of legs or other support means forming part of the cabinet construction. When such fan-coil unit is mounted in its horizontal position such as from a ceiling, it would be advantageous to provide the basic cabinet for housing the main part of the fan-coil unit, and a supplemental cabinet section for housing those components peculiar to the latter position. Although it is advantageous to use such a multi-cabinet construction for the foregoing type of fan-coil unit when the unit is in its horizontal position, the difficult problem is presented of assuring that the cabinet sections are securely attached to the fan-coil unit and that they cannot be inadvertently and improperly so attached.